//------------------------------// // Divisive Twists // Story: Nightmare Day // by Leafdoggy //------------------------------// Tired and caked in mud, Rarity and Applejack push open the door of Sugarcube Corner, a chime announcing their arrival. “Rarity,” Applejack is saying, “we aint got time for you to take a bath. Not unless you plan on losin to-” A snort from inside the building cuts her off, which quickly develops into a burst of laughter. “Rainbow Dash,” Applejack grumbles. Sugarcube corner is, as always, bright, bubbly and colorful. Pinkie takes great strides to keep the lobby adhering to her ever changing tastes, and you can never know if on any given day you’ll walk in to a fresh coat of paint or some bizarre art installation, but Pinkie never fails to have the loudest interior design in Ponyville. Amidst today’s visual noise, a bright orange color scheme packed with holiday decorations, stand Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash, laughing giddily. Behind the two, ominously, sits a large pitch black door, installed seamlessly into the building. Rainbow Dash wipes tears away and stifles her laugh. “Did you-” she snorts again. “Did you guys have a good Nightmare Day?” “Yeah, yeah, yuck it up,” Applejack says. “How in the sam hill did you two beat us here?” “Oh, I saw the door when I woke up this morning,” Pinkie says. “So we just came when we got bored.” “Of course ya did,” Applejack says. “No need to be a sore loser, dear,” Rarity tells Applejack before turning her attention to the other two. “So what’s through the door?” “Iunno,” Rainbow Dash says. “Pinkie wanted to wait for somepony else before we went in.” “I see,” Rarity says. “Well, let’s not delay then, shall we? Onward we go!” The door creaks loudly as they open it and peer inside. They’re all braced, prepared for the worst, but what greets them instead is just a normal hallway. Light carpet on the floor, gaudy orange on the walls. In any other context, there would be nothing off putting about this hall in the slightest. “Uhh, is this supposed to be here?” Rainbow Dash asks. “Nope!” Pinkie replies as she prances in without a care. Applejack holds up a hoof to try and stop Pinkie. “Now, hold up, I don’t think-” before she can finish there’s an ear shattering slam as a wall shuts behind Pinkie and she vanishes. The other three ponies dash inside, prodding at the wall and calling out for Pinkie. Then, another slam as a wall blocks the door, trapping them all inside. A new hallway forms beside the trio, giving them a new path, but they preoccupy themselves with trying to contact Pinkie. On the other side of the wall, Pinkie hears nothing. She stares curiously at the new blockade, and the sea of orange stares back. Then, she shrugs and hops away, whistling a tune to herself. “This aint workin,” Applejack tells the others. “And there’s no way Pinkie’s waitin for us past that wall anyway. We oughta just move on.” “I suppose,” Rarity agrees. “We have to stay together, though. No more getting split up.” The others nod, and they set off down the hallway, huddled into a single mass. The hallways evolve into a labyrinth before the four ponies. An incomprehensible maze of twists and intersections. Pinkie climbs up one set of stairs, while the others climb down another. The halls begin to shift their dimensions, becoming wider or narrower on a whim. The colors warp, the lighting becomes erratic. Through this, the ponies press on, trusting that the journey must end at some point. Pinkie’s path is actually much simpler than the other. The terrain is always navigable, the turns straightforward. The worst she encounters is a somewhat low ceiling, but for the most part she bounces along, content in her wayward exploration. The route laid out for the group is far less gentle. The ceiling undulates in waves, at points lowering so far as to force the ponies to crawl along on their bellies. The carpets become thick and tangled, tripping them and making travel exhaustive. The hallways themselves begin to turn on an axis, disorienting the group as gravity shifts underneath them. “Uh, guys?” Rainbow Dash calls out as they walk through a particularly narrow hallway which has forced them to spread into a line. “Hold up a sec, I’m stuck on the rug.” “Again?” Applejack sighs. “You need to spend more time on the ground. Ya done forgot how to walk.” “Quit teasing and gimme some help,” Rainbow Dash tells her. “I can’t get loose.” “None of us can turn around in this hallway,” Rarity says. “I’m afraid you’re on your own.” “No, seriously,” Rainbow Dash says, fear creeping into her voice. “I think it’s like, pulling me or something.” “Dash, it’s a carpet,” Applejack says. “How the heck would it be pullin you?” “I don’t know, but it is!” Rainbow Dash shouts, suddenly in a panic. The strands of the carpet wrap themselves tightly around her legs and start shifting back, pulling her away from her friends. “Do something!” she shouts, but her voice fades as she’s dragged away into nothingness. Rarity and Applejack can do nothing but listen to their friend scream as she’s spirited away, soon hearing nothing but the echoes of her voice in their minds. “Twilight’s gettin better at this,” Applejack remarks. “Yes, it really is quite impressive,” Rarity agrees. “Not many can get a scare out of Rainbow Dash.” Pinkie Pie plods along, humming a tune. She’s lost in her own thoughts, eyes closed, world shut out. Then, her smile fades, and her eyes pop open. “Hmm,” she ponders. “Twilight! I’m bored!” The empty hallway gives no response. “C'mon!” Pinkie says. “Just let me reach the end already!” Her enclosure pays her no heed. “Twilight?” Pinkie pleads. “Hoo!” Rainbow Dash lets out as she catches her breath. “I’ll admit, that one got me.” The hallway the carpet deposited her in is identical to the one they first entered in every way. No strange dimensions, no warped colors. Just a long, straight corridor. Then, as she walks, it changes again. This time, however, it changes its make-up entirely. The walls lose their uniformity, become jagged. The colors fade into a dusty gray. The lights dim, and are replaced with torches. Soon, Rainbow Dash finds herself walking through a cold, stone cavern. Ahead of her she hears a yelp, and instinctively starts sprinting towards it. Shapes form before her, first a muddy mass, then with more definition. A large, yellow form, surrounded by others. Rainbow Dash doubles her pace. “Oh, hey Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo shouts as the pegasus skids to a halt beside them. “Wha-” Rainbow Dash’s jaw gapes. “What are you guys all doing here?” “We’re stopping Nightmare Moon, duh!” Sweetie Belle says. Fluttershy gives a shaky smile. “I, um, guess I beat you here this time!” “Hey, Rarity,” Applejack asks. “Is it just me, or is this hallway gettin steeper?” “I can’t say I’ve noticed a difference,” Rarity says. “Are you getting tired?” “It just feels like I’m climbin a hill,” Applejack tells her. “You really don’t feel that?” “No, the ground is perfectly level.” Applejack grunts as she struggles forward. “No, hey, stop for a minute. Somethin aint right.” Rarity stops as Applejack props herself against the floor, beginning to lose her traction. She presses her body against the ground, fighting for any bit of friction to keep her upright, but it’s a battle she can’t win. Rarity reaches out and grabs her just as she slips, falling backwards into the hallway. “Applejack, you’re slipping!” Rarity shouts. “Don’t let go,” Applejack implores. “This oughta sort itself out soon.” “I don’t know if I can keep my grip!” “What’re you talkin about, Rarity?” “My hooves, they’re just…” Rarity grins. “They’re just so muddy.” Applejack winces. “Rarity, don’t you dare!” Before she can get another word out, though, Rarity drops her, chuckling softly. Pinkie Pie dashes blindly through the hallways. “Twilight, you can’t keep me here forever!” she shouts into the air. “It’s not fair!” Pinkie slams into a wall as she tries to round a corner too fast, knocking the wind out of her momentarily before she starts running again. She gasps for air as her hooves pound the carpet, pushing her ever forward. The hallways start to warp and twist, making up for lost time, dizzying the pony. Then, Pinkie hits a dead end. A single wall adorned with a black door. Frantically, she pulls the handle, but the door doesn’t budge. She yanks with all her might, and the handle pops off and lands with a clunk on the carpet. Pinkie groans and turns to run the other way, only to be met with another wall, another door, another broken handle. She looks around in a panic and realizes she’s in a box, four tiny walls with four broken doors taunting her. Pinkie flops onto her back in despair. “I guess this is it,” she says. “Twilight got corrupted by Nightmare Moon and is gonna torment me forever. This’ll be my last Nightmare Night ever.” Then the floor disappears below her. Rainbow Dash lets out an “oof” as Pinkie lands on top of her. Pinkie is followed quickly by Applejack, who announces herself with a scream as she drops down through the hallway before rolling to a stop by the others as gravity rights itself. Smug and giddy, Rarity turns back to continue down the hallway, only to be immediately halted as a wall of smoke blasts out in front of her. An artificial wind blows down the hallway, surrounding Rarity with the smoke as it flies past her, and when it finally clears she finds herself face to face with Twilight Sparkle. Or is it? Well, yes, it is. Twilight Sparkle stands tall and proud, a mischievous smile plastered across her face, and adorned with her rather elaborate Nightmare Night costume. Her mane and tail flow as if in a wind, streaks of inky blackness swimming through them. Her horn is pointed into a vile weapon. Her cutie mark has changed, now backed by a swirling void. Most noticeable of all, however, is the deep purple and gold crown that adorns her head, signifying her status to all who see it. “Congratulations, Rarity!” Twilight announces, her smile splitting her face. “You lasted the longest of all your friends.” “Oh?” Rarity responds. “Well, how splendid. Why does that bring you here? Is there some special award?” “Oh, yes, absolutely,” Twilight says. “You get to be the main attraction in tonight’s show!”